


So, A Witch & A Warlock Walk Into a Bar

by drywitticisms



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-12-15 15:52:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11809230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drywitticisms/pseuds/drywitticisms
Summary: While Magnus Bane is busy drowning his sorrows at the local Downworlder bar, he meets another powerful witch, who reminds him why he’s doing what he’s doing and why it matters.





	So, A Witch & A Warlock Walk Into a Bar

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so here's the thing - TVD & Shadowhunters have starkly different mythologies in regards to their supernatural creatures. I've taken a little bit of creative license and have somehow made it work. This story is mostly based on the Shadowhunters' mythology, but I've managed to incorporate TVD's mythology in here as well. Which you will see when you get to Bonnie's part, because TVD has a very different mythology in regards to their witches/warlocks. In TVD, witches/warlocks are very much mortal and can easily be killed. 
> 
> Honestly, all you have to worry about is the mythology in regards to witches/warlocks because I won't dig too deep when it comes to the other supernatural creatures.

“Could you give me another one, Maia?” He asked tapping on his martini glass.

Magnus Bane had been alive for a long time; with age, came great alcohol tolerance. It took a lot to get him sloshed off his ass drunk, which is why he found himself enjoying the drink a little too much sometimes.

He was an adult, and had been for a long time. There was nothing wrong with imbibing every now and then. With the world going to shit, it was necessary to indulge. 

No one ever accused Magnus of abstaining from anything - sex, alcohol, exotic foods, etc.

He didn’t know how long he’d been sitting at the bar, but he knew Maia had to be sick of him by now. Looking up at the werewolf as she slid a new apple martini his way, all he was met with was pity and sorrow. 

_Of course she knows._

It seemed like everything did these days. He’d only broken up with Alec a few days ago, but news like this had a tendency to spread like wildfire. Especially in the Downworld. 

He shook his head at her once he realized she looked like she wanted to say something. He couldn’t stop her from wanting to help him, but he wasn’t in the mood to talk about his break-up right now.

No, all he wanted to do was continue drowning his sorrows.

Staring at the clear liquid as he swirled the olives around in his glass, he felt a warm body sit next to him at the bar.

Hearing a low, husky voice ask Maia for a rum and coke, he decided to turn towards his new companion. 

Sitting next to him was a beautiful, dark-skinned Black woman - she was more of a girl, really. She wasn’t underage, but she appeared to be around Alec’s age. In comparison to him, she was very much a girl. 

“Rough night?” He asked.

The woman looked over towards him before scoffing to herself, “Rough **life**.”

“Tell me about it.” He said before turning towards the bar to take another sip of his martini.

The woman swirled the ice around in her glass while she studied him. He could feel her eyes piercing through his skin, but he was old enough to know how to hide his reactions.

She was ... _unsettling_ , to say the least.

It was rare for another individual to unsettle him. Not even Alec could unsettle him like this. Alec could unsettle him in other ways, of course, but this was a different strangeness.

“You’re Magnus Bane, aren’t you?” She asked with a tilted head.

“How’d you know?” 

“You’re the only person who looks like you in this whole town. Not to mention the fact that you’re hanging out in a Downworlder bar.” 

“Downworlder?” Magnus questioned. “Since you know who I am, I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of getting your name.”

“Bonnie. Bonnie Bennett.” She replied.

Magnus was soon gifted with flashes of another dark-skinned Black woman with smiling Brown eyes and some serious witch powers. 

“Beatrice.” He lowly replied.

“So, you know who I am then?” She asked with a raised eyebrow at the name of her long-dead ancestor.

“Yes, I do. I knew your ancestor, Beatrice. She was a very powerful witch; she helped me with many spells in my day.” Magnus explained.

“I didn’t learn much about my bloodline until my Grams died.” Bonnie said. “I had more power than I knew what to do with, but I learned. I had to learn how to deal with all this magic on my own, but I’m better for it.”

Magnus empathized with Bonnie. Their stores were essentially the same, but he imagined that’s just what came with being endowed with the kind of power and magic that they were born with. 

“I’m much older than you, I’m afraid.” He joked. “But when my powers began manifesting, I was alone as well. My parents were afraid of me, and then … then they weren’t around anymore so I was alone for awhile. Some great people took me in and helped me, but it would have been better if I’d had that emotional support that I needed as a young warlock.”

“My Grams was a good person, but she believed in taking care of her own first - other Bennett witches. She rarely dealt with vampires and for good reason, but I talked her into it. So when she died, I knew I should have just listened to her. It was my fault that she went against everything she believed in, and it killed her. I was the first Bennett witch to go against our family philosophy, and I got my grandmother killed.” 

Magnus could relate to that. As much as he loved Alec, the fact remained that he often let his love for Alec blind him from doing what he needed to do - protect his people. 

He wanted to help Shadowhunters too, but not at the expense of his own people. He had to remind himself that there were dozens of baby Downworlders being created all over the world just like him who needed the same thing he did as a child. He had to take a stand and protect them, because he wished he had someone looking out for him when he was a kid.

“You said your grandmother rarely dealt with vampires? Why?” He asked.

Raphael was one of his closest confidantes and allies; Magnus couldn’t picture himself turning his back on him. 

“My family has a history of being used by vampires for our magic only for us to die as a result of that connection with those same vampires never lifting a finger to protect us in the first place.” Bonnie bitterly stated before taking a long sip of her rum and coke. 

“I ask because I have a very different experience with vampires than you do, obviously.”

“Luckily, you’re probably a lot more powerful than most of the vampires and other creatures that go bump in the night you’ve come across. While all Bennett witches are powerful, we’re still pretty mortal.” Bonnie said.

“And that’s not even the worst part - the worst part is these people who want to use you for your magic whenever they need you don’t even bother to ask how you’re doing or if you’re even up for it. _‘We got a problem; let’s call Bonnie.’ ‘We need to incapacitate this powerful vampire; let’s give Bonnie a ring!’_ We’re all expected to show up at their beck and call like we don’t have thoughts, feelings, and lives of our own.”

“Now, that, my dear, is something I can agree with. I’ll drink to that.” He stated before raising his glass to Bonnie in solidarity before taking a sip of his martini. 

“No matter what part of the world we’re in, it always seems like it’s the same story - powerful people wanting to use our gifts for their own selfish gain.” Bonnie said.

Magnus loved Alec, but he couldn’t say he was okay with the fact that Alec worked for an tyrannical organization like The Clave. Whether Alec knew it or not, he was upholding an already oppressive system that only served to further subjugate Magnus and other Downworlders like him. Magnus knew Alec was trying, but it still didn’t change what The Clave stood for.

“Bonnie Bennett, you’re extremely wise for your age. I didn’t think I would be having a conversation like this when you sat down.” Magnus said.

“It’s a witch thing. But as a warlock, I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“Regardless of your chronological age, being a warlock or witch,” Magnus nodded at her as he said the term, “makes you grow up a lot faster than you want to.”

“It’s just how things go. It never ends well for people like us. Somehow some way, we’re always going to get caught in the crossfire and we end up hurt and alone. Or **dead.** ” Bonnie bitterly spat out the word like she tasted something bad.

“Well, I don’t think that’s particularly true but I understand your point.” Magnus said.

"Why don't you think it's true?" Bonnie curiously asked.

"Because if we're doing all we can to save the people we care about, then are we ever really _alone_?" Magnus questioned. "Even if we don't succeed or we get hurt or die, saving these people will still mean something. They will still be with us."

"For an old guy, you sure are optimistic. I guess I've just been jaded too many times to have much hope the way you do. You're older than I am, so I'm certain your moments of being cynical are far more than mine. The happiest moments of my life have always been tainted by something dark, hanging over my life like a rain cloud."

"You know, from what I remember about Beatrice, she was a fairly happy witch. So, I highly doubt it's a Bennett witch thing." Magnus replied. 

"Well, it just goes back to what I was talking about on the subject of being used and taken advantage of. I was selfless to a fault, and it allowed some rather selfish people to hurt me and cause trouble in my life. I never really learned how to balance everything because I was all on my own with this magic, so my naivete and immaturity caused me to be the way I am because it caused more issues in my life than necessary."

"The past is the past, and we can't do anything about that now. But I would really hope you would review your perspective on life, Bonnie. We're powerful beings, and the world is our oyster. Take advantage of the fact that you're still here and you're still alive."

"I'm way ahead of you, old man. I've been traveling the world for the past four months after my boyfriend died, and I've never been happier." Bonnie replied with a forced smile.

Reaching over to take her free hand into his, Magnus squeezed her hand, which caused her smile to get bigger and become more genuine.

“I know things aren’t looking up right now, but things will get better. I promise.” He said. "Just remember that we're not always going to win, but celebrate the wins more than the losses when you do. It's the only way you're going to be able to stay sane."

Bonnie nodded at his words. 

For the first time in weeks, he actually felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. While his problems were still very much there, he felt better than he had in weeks and it was all because he happened to get drunk at the right time.

**Author's Note:**

> I started watching Shadowhunters a few weeks ago, and it quickly hit me how similar Bonnie & Magnus are. Aside from a few things, their stories are essentially the same. Especially in regards to their status and power in the supernatural world and how their status dictates their interactions with other people (e.g humans, non-humans, etc.)
> 
> If you've ever watched TVD, then you know exactly what I'm talking about when I say this. If not, trust me when I tell you that the two of them have a lot in common. This story was purely platonic, but I definitely plan on writing something more romantic in the future.


End file.
